20 LAWS RELATING TO 



owners shall neglect to open the same when thereto required b}' the 

 said committee or the major part of them, immediately after being 

 thus required so to do ; and the dam or sluice so opened sball con- 

 tinue open in every 3'ear, to such depth and width, and for such term 

 of time between the fifteenth day of April and the tenth da}' of June, 

 as the major part of the said committee shall judge necessary ; and if 

 any person or persons shall obstruct the said passage-ways allowed or 

 ordered by the said committee, or the major part of them, in any dam 

 or sluice, such person so offending shall on conviction before any jus- 

 tice of the peace in the county of Barnstable, pa}- a fine for every 

 such offence not exceeding forty shillings, nor less tlian twenty shil- 

 linos, and the said committee shall cause everv such obstruction to be 

 forthwith removed. 



Sect. 3. Be it further enacted^ That if an}- person or persons 

 «hall take any of the said fish in the rivers, streams or ponds afore- 

 said, before they shall have cast their spawns, at any time, in any 

 place, or in any manner other than shall be allowed by the said com- 

 mittee as aforesaid, each person so offending, for each and every such 

 offence shall, on conviction, as aforesaid pay a fine not exceeding 

 twenty shillings, nor less than five shillings, if the quantity of fish so 

 taken is less than one barrel ; but if the quantity so taken shall be 

 one barrel or more, such person or persons so offending shall forfeit 

 and pay for each and every barrel of fish so taken, the sum of twenty 

 shillings. 



Sect. 4. Be it farther enacted, That if the committee aforesaid, or 

 either of them, shall detect any person or persons in attempting to 

 take any of the said fish at any time, or in any place, or in any 

 manner otherwise than is allowed by the said committee, or shall find 

 such fish with such person or persons, such person or persons shall be 

 deemed to have taken the said fish unlawfully, and shall be subject to 

 the penalties of this act accordingly, unless such person or persons 

 can make it appear on trial, that they came by the said fish in some 

 other way. 



Sect. 5. Be it further enacted. That the committee to be chosen 

 as aforesaid, or the major part of them, shall determine what days in 

 the week the said fish shall be taken, also on the certain parts of the 

 said rivers and streams where the said fish may be taken, to be partic- 

 ularly bounded or described, so that the said places may be easily 

 known ; and shall notify the inhabitants thereof, by posting up notifl- 

 cations in several public places in the said town of Harwich, within 

 ten days after their being chosen as aforesaid. 



Sect. 6. Be it further enacted, That all penalties incurred by any 

 breach of this act, shall be recovered by complaint before a justice of 

 the peace, in the county of Barnstable, where the said penalty doth 



